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I. W. BRANN & G. I. KINNEY. SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC LIGHT AND' MOTORCIRCUITS.

Patented Mar. 13

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2 Sheet sSheet 2. P. W. BRANN: & G. I. KINNEY. SWITCH FOR BLEOTR IGLIGHT AND MOTOR CIRCUITS. No. 379,501.

v Patented Mar. 13

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I jWdmM L- I I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. BRANN AND G. IRVING KINNEY, OF SA1\ FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

SWITCH FOR ELECTRIC-LIGHT AND MOTOR CIRCUITS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,501Idated March 13,1888.

Application filed November 14, 1 887. Serial No. 255,172. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERICK W. BRANN and G. IRVING KINNEY, citizensof the United States, residing in the city and county ofv San Franciscoand State of California, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Switches for Electric-Light and Motor Circuits; and wedo hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of our said invention, reference being had to the drawingsthat accompany and form a part of this specification.

Our invention relates to improvements in switches for electriclight andmotor circuits; and it consists in a certain novel construction ofswitch-lever, contact-springs, and circuitclosers, and in an improvedcase or box with binding-posts, conductors, and contactsprings, ashereinafter fully described, and pointed out in the claims.

The following description explains the nature of our said improvementsand the mannor in which we have constructed, combined, and applied thesame in carrying out our invention, the accompanying drawings beingreferred to by figures and letters.

Figure 1 is a front View of our improved switch set up for operation andadapted to control a motor and an electric-light supply-circuit, or aday and a night line, in a single-service circuit. Fig. 2 is a top viewof the box. Fig. 3 is a section taken through the line a: m, Fig. 1.Fig. 4 is a front view of the switch with the lever set to throw thenight-lineinto circuit. Fig. 5 is a similar view with the lever set tothe opposite side. Figs. 6 and 6 show a novel construction ofslot-cover. Fig. 7 is a perspective view of the switch-lever,contactsprings, and circuit-closer arranged for a single-point switch.Fig. 8 is a side view of the switch-lever, partly in section. Fig. 9 isa top view of the lever. Fig. 10 is a back or end view of theswitch-lever and contact-points with the circuit-closer raised. Fig. 11is a top view of the circuit-closer.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawlngs.

A is the case or box, with a lid, A that is either fastened down byscrews or may. be hinged and-furnished with a lock.

B l3 are binding-posts fixed in the sides or rim of the box,withelectric connection on the inside with conducting-tapes E F. The wires WWV fastened in these posts, are those of The binding-posts are insulatedby setting the plates H,of insulating fiber,under the posts and fittingtubular bushings I into the holes in the rim of the box around thescrews 1). In this improved switchbox the wires of the service-circuitand the line or lines to be controlled are perfectly connected andreadily disconnected, and the complete insulation of the box is insured,as the connections are all on the outside. By this construction it isimpossible to open a circuit within the box.

The switch-lever R moves in an are on the center stud, a, fixed in theback of the box, and has the handle It", extending through the slot A inthe front. The slide R is fixed on the handle inside the box to coverthe slot. It moves with the lever-handle and keeps the slot closed toexclude dust and other matter when the box may be set in exposedsituations.

Figs. 6, 6" illustrate a construction of sliding cover applied on theoutside for the same purpose and attached to the handle to be moved withit. The plate It, forming this cover, swings on the center screw, 1", toeither side,as the handle is moved,and covers the slot in all positionsof the lever, except when the switch is thrown off. This position shownin Fig. 6) leaves the slot open, and the interior of the switch-box canbe inspected at such time. The plate has a forked piece, T to straddleand slide on the center screw, and an aperture r for the handle.

The lever B has two conductors, S S insulated from each other by beingfixed, one, S,

U to engage with the machine.

on and along the top or upper face of the lever from the pivot end tothe head B and the other, S upon the back or under side of the lever inthe same manner. These conductingstrips are carried over the ends of thesegment head It, as shown in Figs. 8, 9, and 10, but have no electricconnection with each other. At the pivot end of the lever the conductorS is connected with the terminal of the conducting strip E by being setdirectly against it, and in all movements and positions of the leverthis connection is complete and constant. The two surfaces are in closecontact and kept bright by rubbing against each other. The bottomconductor, S in the same manner connects with the other terminal, F.

T is a circuit-closer, consisting of the arm T carrying the are T on theend and fixed to the tail It of the switch-lever. The are is of suitablelength to connect the two conducting-strips E F and make a short circuitbetween them when the lever is set on the center, or midway between thetwo switchpoints, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1. In this positionthe service-circuit is cut off; but in either of the other two positionsthe arc is brought in electric contact with one conducting-strip, E orF, but not with the other, as the inner end of the are will then clearthe other conductor. The circuit is also closed through the lever whenit stands on the center by the fixed circuit-closer T, composed of acurved strip fixed on the bottom of the box for the head of the lever toride on, and of suitable length to bridge the space between the twoconducting-surfaces S and S on the under side of the head RE Thiscircuitcloser connects the two conductors S and S only as the leverstands on the center.

L M are the contact-springs forming the terminals of the positiveconducting-strip G and the negative conducting-strip G i They are set atsuch distance apart that the end Y of the head R shall rest in contactwith the spring L, and the other end, Y in the spring M, when the leveris thrown over to connect the service-circuit and the line to be used.In the other position of the lever the circuit of the line W W" isclosed by the cir' cuit-closer K. This closer is a spring connected atone end to the conducting-strip G, but free at the other end to bethrown up from contact with the point M provided on the other conductor,G, the spring being of suitable length to bridge the space between thetwo conductors.

The switclrlever is caused to raise the circuit-closer when making theswitch, and to hold it out of working contact as long as the circuit isestablished through the switchlever, by forming an incline, a, on theblock R on which the handle is fixed, and having a curved lip, 7t, onthe side of the spring K The form and arrangement of these parts aresuch that the incline strikes under the lip and raises the spring, whichrides upon the incline when the switch-lever is thrown into the point;but in the contrary movement as the lever is drawn away the inclineallows the spring to fall back into position and close the circuitbetween the two terminals of the line.

It will be noticed that both this last-described circuit-closer and thatof the main or service circuit, either in being broken or in beingbrought into play, are so arranged and operated that they are not thrownout oi action until the circuit is established through the switch-lever,and in like manner in the contrary movement of the lever they are madeto close the circuit before the lever is withdrawn from theswitch-points, so that the cireuit in the branch line, and in theservice-circuit as well, is never broken.

The construction of switch -boX given in Figs. 1 to 6 in the drawings isintended to control two lines that are supplied from oneservice-circuitsuch as a day-line-to operate motors, or where a light isto be supplied in the day-line and a line to be connected 1n thenight-time, or when the other line is not to be used.

The arrangement of the parts shown in Figs. 7 and 9 will serve for asingle-point switch.

An additional number of points can be controlled by duplicating theswitch-lever and arranging the two levers and the required number ofpoints in the one box, each switchlever having its handle projectingthrough the front of the box in its own slot.

Having thus fully described our invention, what we claim, and desiretosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. A switch-box for electric circuits, consisting of a suitable box orcase having insulated binding-posts on the outside for connecting thewires of the main or service circuit and of the branch or line to becontrolled, a switchlever connected by conductors, as E F, 011 theinside with the binding-posts of one set of wires, and contact-points,as L M, connected with the other set of binding-posts by conductors, asG G*, substantially as hereinbefore described.

2. In a switch-box for electric circuits, a

switch-lever having separated conductors, as

S and 8*, in combination with conductors, as E F, a circuit-closer, T,switch-points, as L M, that are the terminals of a service'circuit, or acircuit to be supplied, and a circuit-closer, as K, at such points,which is adapted to engage with and be held up by the lever when the endthereof is set to the points, substantially as herein described.

3. The combination of the switchpoints L M, a circuit-closer, K, theconducting-strips E F, and the switch-lever It, havingconducting-surfaces S S*, in electric connection with theconducting-strips, the head R at which said conductors S S terminate, acircuit closer, T, at the tail end, and the block with an incline whichis adapted to engage with and throw up the circuit-closing spring.

S 8*, which are electrically insulated from each 4. In a switch forelectric circuits, the combination of the two conductors E F and theswinging switch-lever R,having conducting-surfaces the lever, andconductors, as G G having contact-points, as L M, substantially asdescribed.

'6. The combination, with the box having a 20 curved slot, and thehandle R playing in said slot, of the oscillating slot-cover consistingof the plate formed of two segments, as described, having the forkedpiece T to engage the guidescrew T and the aperture r for the handle, 25as described.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our handsand seals.

FREDERICK w. BRANN. Ls c. IRVING KINNEY. L s.]

Witnesses:

CHAS. E. KELLY, O. W. M. SMITH.

